8A-2 FOOTBALL: Osceola overpowers Manatee

Friday

Nov 10, 2017 at 11:36 PMNov 10, 2017 at 11:42 PM

Heavy underdog Hurricanes fall behind 23-0 and can't claw way back

By Chris DellCorrespondent

KISSIMMEE

Manatee High fell behind by double digits early in the first half and could never fully recover en route to dropping a 44-16 decision to Kissimmee Osceola on Friday night in the Class 8A-Region 2 quarterfinals at Osceola High School.

The host Kowboys (10-0) jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 23-0 with 9 minutes remaining in the first half when quarterback Braxton Jones found Jakobe Thomas wide open in the back of the end zone for a one-yard score.

The visiting Hurricanes (5-4), despite being heavy underdogs against the undefeated Kowboys, rallied on their next two drives by rattling off 13 consecutive points in a span of eight minutes over the second and third quarters. A 21-yard field goal with 4:14 left in the third quarter made it 23-16, but Manatee failed to score another point the rest of the way.

“You just don’t get that many chances in the playoffs,” said first-year Manatee head coach, Yusuf Shakir. “People don’t understand that you get one opportunity to do those things and you have to have a sense of urgency in everything you’re doing. They (Osceola) just beat us up front. They’re front was better than our front, and their front gave more effort than our front.”

Senior signal-caller Ryan O'Neill connected with freshman wideout Irone Jackson on touchdowns of 29 and six yards, respectively, during the Hurricanes 16-0 run.

Despite not scoring the rest of the way, it was the most points Osceola has allowed in any game since Sept. 22. The Kowboys had registered shutouts in four of their final five regular seasons going into Friday night’s contest, allowing just eight combined points during that span.

Jackson paced all Hurricanes receivers with five catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns.

“Irone is a phenomenal young player,” Shakir said. “Almost everybody is coming back, so we just have to take advantage. This offseason will be huge for us, and how you perform in the season is based on how you train from January to August.

It was the first ever playoff meeting between Manatee and the Kowboys, who have won 24 consecutive regular-season games and reached the state finals in two out of the last three years, despite losing in the first round last year to Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast.

The majority of Manatee’s players, including Jackson, will return to make another run next year with just 15 seniors on this season’s roster, according to Shakir, who became the Hurricanes head coach in June and looks forward to having his first full offseason with the team.

“Most of these kids have never been in this moment,” Shakir said. “We made mistakes early, and you can’t spot any team points in the playoffs. You have to be detail-oriented in everything you do against a talented team like this.”

The Hurricanes, who had a two-game winning streak snapped last week by Venice in their regular-season finale, have made eight consecutive trips to the state playoffs despite not winning a state title since 2011, which was the fifth in school history.

Da’nas Pinellas paced the Kowboys with 144 rushing yards on 14 carries. A pick six by junior Mario Kendricks sealed the victory for the Kowboys with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter, as Osceola closed the game with 21 unanswered points after Manatee had made its run.